TROY -- A 20-year-old man turned himself in to the Rensselaer County Sheriff's Office Wednesday to face charges for his role in the June accident which killed 24-year-old Christopher Baker of Stephentown.

Brendan Hoffman is not only charged with aggravated vehicular homicide, but also a host of Vehicle and Traffic Law violations. The car Hoffman was driving crashed on Cranston Road at 12:50 a.m. on June 28. Officials are still waiting to receive Hoffman's blood alcohol content from the morning of the accident and say that figure could result in additional and increased charges.

Sheriff Jack Mahar explained that the charges were delayed as investigators waited for test results and interviewed witnesses. According to one eyewitness, Hoffman was definitely the driver that night in Sand Lake.

"We'd rather issue the charges a little slow and get them right, than be hasty and be wrong," said Mahar on Wednesday. He added that the Rensselaer County Sheriff's Office is "confident" that Hoffman was driving.

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Baker's body was ejected from the vehicle and was not found for several hours. Hoffman was allegedly picked up by another driver before the authorities arrived, said Mahar.

After turning himself in, which was advised by Hoffman's attorney, he was arraigned at the Town of Sand Lake court and released on $20,000 bail.

Both Hoffman and Baker were apparently at a house party the night of the accident. Charges are not pending against the party's hosts, said Mahar.

Hoffman, who sustained slight injuries from the accident more than two months ago, has not yet given authorities a statement about what happened that night.

"We don't think the operator knew someone was ejected from the vehicle," said Mahar, referring to evidence from the ongoing investigation.

"This event was tragic all the way around - a young man died and now this other young man faces possibly serious time in jail. And, for what? Underage drinking and driving," said Mahar, who noted that it cannot yet be concluded, however, that Hoffman had alcohol in his system. "We strongly believe he was intoxicated."

Hoffman could face upwards of a dozen years in jail with the charges.

The charges came in part due to Hoffman's prior record, which includes a DWI and reckless driving in the past couple years, said Mahar. He was driving with a restricted license.

Sheriff Jack Mahar previously said a person driving in the opposite direction at the time of the accident told deputies the car Hoffman was driving nearly hit the witness' vehicle and then went into a ditch.

The witness turned around to check on the crashed car and talked to Hoffman, who was having difficulties getting out of the car which had flipped over and was lying on its roof.

At that time another vehicle, driven by an unidentified female who knew Hoffman, pulled up to the scene. The witness told deputies Hoffman got into the vehicle and fled the scene.

Mahar previously said deputies searched the scene, but at the time of the accident, were not specifically looking for a passenger. The car was towed and deputies were looking at nearby houses to see if the white car driven by the female could be located.

At 4:58 a.m., Mahar said Hoffman's father called the Sheriff's Office to say there was a passenger in the car.

Mahar said deputies and firefighters returned to the scene to conduct a more intensive search. Baker's body was located some 100-feet down a hill from where the car came to rest in an area where it would have been very difficult to see at night.

The search for Hoffman continued, Mahar said, until 6:30 that morning, when deputies received information that he was at Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield, Mass.

Along with felony vehicular manslaughter, Hoffman also stands charged with reckless driving, speeding, failure to keep right and leaving the scene of a fatal accident.